The Prisoners’ Dreams

40 It came to pass after these things that the ^(A)butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. ² And Pharaoh was ^(B)angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. ^3 (C)So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. ⁴ And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.

⁵ Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, ^(D)had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation. ⁶ And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were ^[a]sad. ⁷ So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, ^(E)“Why do you look so sad today?”

⁸ And they said to him, ^(F)“We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.”

So Joseph said to them, ^(G)“Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”

⁹ Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, ¹⁰ and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

¹² And Joseph said to him, ^(H)“This is the interpretation of it: The three branches ^(I)are three days. ¹³ Now within three days Pharaoh will ^(J)lift up your head and restore you to your ^[b]place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler. ¹⁴ But ^(K)remember me when it is well with you, and ^(L)please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. ¹⁵ For indeed I was ^(M)stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; ^(N)and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”

¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three ^[c]white baskets on my head. ¹⁷ In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”

¹⁸ So Joseph answered and said, ^(O)“This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. ^19 (P)Within three days Pharaoh will lift ^[d]off your head from you and ^(Q)hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

²⁰ Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s ^(R)birthday, that he ^(S)made a feast for all his servants; and he ^(T)lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. ²¹ Then he ^(U)restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and ^(V)he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. ²² But he ^(W)hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. ²³ Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but ^(X)forgot him.

Pharaoh’s Dreams

41 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that ^(Y)Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. ² Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. ³ Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. ⁴ And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. ⁵ He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. ⁶ Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the ^(Z)east wind, sprang up after them. ⁷ And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. ⁸ Now it came to pass in the morning ^(AA)that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all ^(AB)the magicians of Egypt and all its ^(AC)wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.

⁹ Then the ^(AD)chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day. ¹⁰ When Pharaoh was ^(AE)angry with his servants, ^(AF)and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, ^11 (AG)we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. ¹² Now there was a young ^(AH)Hebrew man with us there, a ^(AI)servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he ^(AJ)interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. ¹³ And it came to pass, just ^(AK)as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”

^14 (AL)Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they ^(AM)brought him quickly ^(AN)out of the dungeon; and he shaved, ^(AO)changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. ¹⁵ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. ^(AP)But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”

¹⁶ So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ^(AQ)“It is not in me; ^(AR)God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

¹⁷ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, ^(AS)in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. ¹⁸ Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. ¹⁹ Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰ And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. ²¹ When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke. ²² Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven ^[e]heads came up on one stalk, full and good. ²³ Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. ²⁴ And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So ^(AT)I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

²⁵ Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; ^(AU)God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: ²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ^[f]heads are seven years; the dreams are one. ²⁷ And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are ^(AV)seven years of famine. ^28 (AW)This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. ²⁹ Indeed ^(AX)seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; ³⁰ but after them seven years of famine will ^(AY)arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine ^(AZ)will deplete the land. ³¹ So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. ³² And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the ^(BA)thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

³³ “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint ^[g]officers over the land, ^(BB)to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. ³⁵ And ^(BC)let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the ^[h]authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. ³⁶ Then that food shall be as a ^[i]reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land ^(BD)may not ^[j]perish during the famine.”

Joseph’s Rise to Power

³⁷ So ^(BE)the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. ³⁸ And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man ^(BF)in whom is the Spirit of God?”

³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. ^40 (BG)You shall be ^[k]over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” ⁴¹ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have ^(BH)set you over all the land of Egypt.”

⁴² Then Pharaoh ^(BI)took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he ^(BJ)clothed him in garments of fine linen ^(BK)and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ And he had him ride in the second ^(BL)chariot which he had; ^(BM)and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him ^(BN)over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” ⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name ^[l]Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife ^(BO)Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he ^(BP)stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁷ Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth ^[m]abundantly. ⁴⁸ So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. ⁴⁹ Joseph gathered very much grain, ^(BQ)as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.

^50 (BR)And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. ⁵¹ Joseph called the name of the firstborn ^[n]Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my ^(BS)father’s house.” ⁵² And the name of the second he called ^[o]Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be ^(BT)fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

⁵³ Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, ^54 (BU)and the seven years of famine began to come, ^(BV)as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. ⁵⁵ So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; ^(BW)whatever he says to you, do.” ⁵⁶ The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened ^[p]all the storehouses and ^(BX)sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. ^57 (BY)So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to ^(BZ)buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.

Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

42 When ^(CA)Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” ² And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may ^(CB)live and not die.”

³ So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. ⁴ But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, ^(CC)“Lest some calamity befall him.” ⁵ And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was ^(CD)in the land of Canaan.

⁶ Now Joseph was governor ^(CE)over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and ^(CF)bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. ⁷ Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as ^(CG)a stranger to them and spoke ^[q]roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?”

And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

⁸ So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. ⁹ Then Joseph ^(CH)remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the ^[r]nakedness of the land!”

¹⁰ And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. ¹¹ We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”

¹² But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

¹³ And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one ^(CI)is no more.”

¹⁴ But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ ¹⁵ In this manner you shall be tested: ^(CJ)By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶ Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be ^[s]kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!” ¹⁷ So he ^[t]put them all together in prison ^(CK)three days.

¹⁸ Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, ^(CL)for I fear God: ¹⁹ If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. ²⁰ And ^(CM)bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.”

And they did so. ²¹ Then they said to one another, ^(CN)“We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; ^(CO)therefore this distress has come upon us.”

²² And Reuben answered them, saying, ^(CP)“Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now ^(CQ)required of us.” ²³ But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. ²⁴ And he turned himself away from them and ^(CR)wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took ^(CS)Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

The Brothers Return to Canaan

²⁵ Then Joseph ^(CT)gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to ^(CU)restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. ^(CV)Thus he did for them. ²⁶ So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. ²⁷ But as ^(CW)one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. ²⁸ So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts ^[u]failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”

²⁹ Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: ³⁰ “The man who is lord of the land ^(CX)spoke ^[v]roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. ³¹ But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. ³² We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’ ³³ Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ^(CY)‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. ³⁴ And bring your ^(CZ)youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may ^(DA)trade in the land.’ ”

³⁵ Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly ^(DB)each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. ³⁶ And Jacob their father said to them, “You have ^(DC)bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take ^(DD)Benjamin. All these things are against me.”

³⁷ Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”

³⁸ But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for ^(DE)his brother is dead, and he is left alone. ^(DF)If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would ^(DG)bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”